Ireland's lost kids.
international |
racism & migration related issues |
news report 
Tuesday November 21, 2006 21:13
by iosaf
Unfortuanately the details of this story or rather the details of its protagonist are scant. I can tell you with confidence that he is an Irish citizen, that he has taken medication for a psichiatric condition provided by the Catalan health service free of charge for almost a year. I can tell you the Irish diplomatic mission to Barcelona refused to assist him passage home. "Oh but they say that to everyone." If you check the fine print of Irish passport, which is the most expensive passport of any EU state but an obligatory document for any one in the Shengen area to go to / come to / return - you will see the ominious reminder don't ask your Irish embassy for help getting home. we don't have enough funds.
But the chap in the picture did & does want to go home. . He's had enough. Basta. Prou as the Katalanders put it.
So in the morning of the 19th of November the lad in question took advantage of the wonderful roof of "Estacio de Franca" & climbed up to the rafters a hundred foot above & thus brought attention to his case.
He also ensured that the electric cabling which serves the main train service to Barcelona's airport beneath him was switched off. Which meant lots of people were delayed on their way to the airport. Some but not all of these people were Irish. It is quite improbably any were terrorists or were going to try to fly out of Barcelona without a paid for ticket. Quite a few of them probably forgot about the liquid thing in the hand-luggage.
& so Time went by.
The firemen came & thought about coaxing him down. They did that for a few hours.
He asked for a cup of coffee.
He got it.
( a fireman told the media afterwards it was cold when it got to him. he liked his coffee milky. Most Irish do. little tip. you're on a protest & are offered coffee or tea keep it piping hot. ask for thermos flask.)
He asked for a ticket home.
He didn't get that.
He asked for a representative of the Irish consulate to talk to him.
Did they fuck.
Finally at about 5pm (4 pm Irish time) he fell asleep & they brought him down & put him in a huggy jacket.
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Now because many regular readers of Indymedia ireland over the last 5 years will know - I always try to get to people to compare & contrast . Ireland is we are told with regular audacity one of richest, most developed states not only in Europe but the whole fecking world. & boasting one of the largest diasporias of any European nation it would really like to offer a job, hearth & shares in Ryanair to its lost children. But it got polish plumbers & nurses instead. This really got up your noses. If you didn't think about it & were one of those RAR (residents against racism) types don't worry it got up someone else's nose for you. The noses of FF and the PD's. Which is why you as a nation chose not to assist your nationals in trouble or difficult circumstances "away from home" or even allow your EU resident but non-Eire resident citizens (like me) a vote or political representation / participation beyond writing on indymedia. & lastly the compare & contrast
you decided Romanians will not be allowed into your country to work.
& so....................... did anyone take inspiration from Mr Irish protester?
yes they did.
Yesterday a Romanian citizen climbed up on a construction crane in Barcelona's Ravel district & rather than adopt a stationery position or even request coffee (without milk - they take it that way) he just asked for :-
a representative of the Romanian consulate to talk to him.
= The woman talked to from the ground of the crane by mobile telephone.
& he asked to be deported. not repatriated or even sent home for fecking free on Ryanair out of your tax-paying pocket.
And his really pressing issue :- He asked to be given a place in a drug detox centre before he was sent home.
on well................... that's asking a lot these days....................
Happy birthday to ye all. I've not been writing or commenting much coz I've a lovely refuge rented & am writing off-line. If you're delighted by what foreigners do in Barcelona, Duncan of "seomrai spraoi" is over here & saw almost a hundred of them (all good jugglers it's said) go homeless yesterday morning. There is link............. there always is............... The "estacio França" no longer sends trains to France, & hasn't for a while. But a new high speed train link from France through Barcelona to Madrid will be built 400 metres from what was till yesterday the "circus school of barcelona".
http://indymedia.ie/article/79776 I'll let ye in on a secret.- Cities change. They appear to realise that cheap visitors want cheap stays. If they attract expensive visitors (meaning less north European hippies or for that matter British / Irish weekenders not on stag/hen gigs) they get more money for their middle class & with a push & shove their own poor just go away. They like that.
don't leave home without your fare home or a vaild passport.